Armed with red juggling pins, ready-to-swallow light bulbs, and a 20-inch-sword, Justin Parsons prepared for his performance.

No, Parsons isn’t a traveling carny working under a white-and-red striped circus tent. He’s a UI astrophysics graduate student.

Standing in the center of his tiny apartment kitchen Wednesday evening, the tattooed man slid his hand through his dark, gelled hair, and took a drink of water, wetting his meticulously groomed mustache and lips in preparation.

About to swallow a sword, he took a damp, white rag to the long, metal weapon, checking for nicks and removing the dirt.

“You can’t think too deeply about it,” he said. “I think about what I need to do, and how it will feel so it’s not a huge shock.”

With a deep breath, Parsons stood rigidly still and proceeded to shove the long, cold weapon down his throat. After about 30 seconds, it was over.

“It’s like swallowing a fork,” he said and laughed. “It doesn’t taste so good.”

But the 25-year-old doesn’t stop at swallowing swords. He can also ride a unicycle, juggle, and eat glass. Those light bulbs? He chomps them until they’re easy enough to swallow.

Parsons said he sees these tricks as mere challenges. Learning about muscle control and gag reflexes is crucial, requiring a full understanding of the undertaking and how it can affect the body.

“People die swallowing because they don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “They think it’s a party gag.”

The Davenport native became interested in extreme tricks in eighth grade, when he saw a documentary on sideshow acts. Hearing about the “blockhead act,” Parsons decided to replicate it.

With his bedroom door shut, the then-13-year-old taught himself how to shove a nail into his nasal cavity. So it began.

Now, a current member of Sword Swallowing Association International — of which there are only about 110 listed who achieve the feat — Parsons’ talent is a rarity.

He kept his sword-swallowing talents a secret from his family when he was training. Sister Nicole Parsons remembers when she first saw it.

The 23-year-old was shocked when her brother called her on stage at a show and explained she would pull the sword out of his mouth.

“I was like ewww,” she said.

Parsons doesn’t only entertain his family with his talents. He showcases them to the community with local performances and membership in the UI Juggling Club.

Peter Blanchard, a mathematics lecturer at the UI who is the faculty adviser for the club, has juggled with Parsons for the past three years.

“He’s a bit unusual,” Blanchard said with a chuckle. “He fits right in with the juggling scene.”

After finishing graduate school, Parsons hopes to either research or teach, but he also wants to continue to practice his talents.

“This isn’t something I’ll let fade out of my life,” he said.